Oh, FertileWar is both intriguing and wonderfully amusing! I love how balanced and in control everyone is about the whole thing, at this time (and it does make sense, considering the main players are a grown Jedi Knight, and men raised from the cradle to have the ridged self-discipline of soldiers). It makes, as Obi-Wan noted, seeing the affection THROUGH the biology much easier! How well CAN Anakin read his former Padawan, though? Is he aware of the attractions, after seeing things in person?
There was something going on with his padawan and his men.
Of that Anakin was certain and he didn’t know better, it almost felt like Obi-Wan was… well, for the lack of a better word, crushing on his own men.
All of them.
Now, Anakin wasn’t stupid. His padawan was a young man, young men had urges most of the time unless they were asexual and even they occasionally felt lust. Obi-Wan, he knew was not asexual and had actually caught the other in a tryst or two.
He may also have scared at least one fellow padawan of his padawan out of their quarters by glowering.
Regardless how much Obi-Wan had been angry at the time, Anakin still kept his opinion about padawan Dilero-Dan, at twenty four, him paying that much attention to Obi-Wan at sixteen was not acceptable.
Now though, now Obi-Wan was an adult, if he wanted to shack up with someone, Anakin wasn’t about to stop his padawan, hell, depending on the person, he might even encourage the other. Release was healthy and despite how embarrassed it made both Anakin and Obi-Wan, Anakin had made sure to have a throughout sex talk with the other.
So, having a crush or two on some of his men wouldn’t have shocked Anakin, they were capable and Anakin, for all that he didn’t like the man himself, could tell that Jango Fett was objectively handsome.
But this wasn’t just one crush or even just a handful of the troopers.
It was all of them and that just…
It boggled Anakin’s mind and that wasn’t the only thing. The other thing was that the troopers themselves also seemed to have their own crush on their General.
It was the 501st that clued him in that something was up honestly, the way they seemed to both want to drift closer to Obi-Wan and yet firmly tried to keep professional. And Anakin had caught Rex quietly dressing down a shiny that had seemed to follow Obi-Wan around for a day.
Something was up and he’d have to ask Obi-Wan about why every clone around them seemed to find themselves attracted to Obi-Wan.
Shockingly, Anakin’s usual protective instincts weren’t surfacing at the thought.
Normally, uncut attention to Obi-Wan had Anakin’s instincts rearing to go and he had often cut of those that had less than stellar intentions with his former padawan, even if Obi-Wan at the time hadn’t realized it.
Maybe some would see it as him being overprotective but… well, Anakin was to teach and guide, that was his job and he wanted the other to be healthy.
Yet…
The troopers didn’t initiate that feeling, Cody standing so close that his hip brushed against Obi-Wan’s didn’t make Anakin’s skin crawl as they went over the battle prep and strategy. The sight of Cody’s gloved and armored arm bumping against Obi-Wan didn’t make Anakin want to break the commander’s arm.
It was the strangest sensation, Anakin didn’t trust a lot of those that expressed interest in Obi-Wan, outside of a few of the Jedi back at the temple that Obi-Wan had cautiously explored with as a youth.
It made Anakin mull over the reason.
They were men after all, human men and Anakin had always dealt with those with extreme prejudice when it came to his padawan due to his body being slightly different and his gender having been difficult at times, even if Obi-Wan comfortably called himself male now.
That had taken a few years though, before Obi-Wan was certain.
So Anakin had protected him through those years as Obi-Wan figured himself out as his body changed and developed.
So, why wasn’t Anakin reacting to the troopers how he normally reacted?
He should be throwing a fit, throwing Cody as far away from Obi-Wan as he could, barring any of the troopers access to Obi-Wan by contacting the council to alert them to the strangeness of the troopers reaction to Obi-Wan.
True, there were some of the troopers, his own that was, that made his teeth itch if they got too close to Obi-Wan but…
“Master?” Obi-Wan’s voice broke through his thoughts and Anakin looked up in surprise, finding Obi-Wan, Cody, Rex and lieutenant Waxer looking to him along with Echo and Fives from the recon team.
He winced. “Apologies, could you repeat that? I was deep in thought.” Echo and Fives traded quick looks before the latter reiterated the information he and Echo had found on their scouting mission.
As he did, Anakin couldn’t help but glance at Cody, finding the man intently focused on Fives, eyes never wavering with his helmet beneath his other arm.
Not distracted, not leering, not making a big fuss of it all…
‘Oh,’ Anakin blinked in sudden realization. ‘I trust them. I trust them to remain professional and I trust them not to harm Obi-Wan, I trust them not to take advantage of him or him of them… that’s why.’ Anakin tilted his head, looking at Cody and Obi-Wan, standing so close and yet obviously paying attention to the report.
Anakin Skywalker trusted the 212th with Obi-Wan’s health and comfort.